Sendai Earthquake

I wonder how the Sendai Earthquake is going to affect Worlds. A number of airports, including Haneda and Narita, are closed until further notice. The US state department is urging its citizens to avoid non essential travel to Japan until at least April 1st.

I just woke up and heard about the earthquake. This is dreadful. It's the strongest earthquake recorded since 1900, and there is a tsunami alert in Hawaii and even on America's west coast. It's almost too hard to comprehend the scale of such an event, so I find it natural to focus on people we know or have heard of, namely the skaters. All I can see in my miind is the faces of skaters I have admired and loved for years, and I can only hope and pray that they and their countrymen will make it through with as little damage as possible.

I live in the central part of Tokyo, about 20 min train ride from the venue of the World. Fortunately almost everything here is OK although the public transportation and telephones are out of service tonight(the internet and TV are alive). The quake here in Tokyo was only level 5, like an airplane flying in a stromy weather, and no skaters would have felt dizzy, hahaha!

Through the twitters, it is infromed all the Japanese participants to the Worlds are OK.

It's good that you and your family are okay, gardenernaga. And thanks for the news about Tokyo.

I know we've heard from all of this year's Worlds participants, but has anyone heard anything from Shizuka? I think she is based in Sendai, isn't she? The photos are heartbreaking; one shows two cars of a train just lying on their sides, like toys not put away after playtime.

Somehow it doesn't seem right to expect the Japanese skaters to compete next week. Couldn't they at least postpone Worlds for a month? I know there are problems involved with that, but (to mix sports metaphors) getting back on the horse right now seems a bit rushed.

Somehow it doesn't seem right to expect the Japanese skaters to compete next week. Couldn't they at least postpone Worlds for a month? I know there are problems involved with that, but (to mix sports metaphors) getting back on the horse right now seems a bit rushed.

It's good that you and your family are okay, gardenernaga. And thanks for the news about Tokyo.

I know we've heard from all of this year's Worlds participants, but has anyone heard anything from Shizuka? I think she is based in Sendai, isn't she? The photos are heartbreaking; one shows two cars of a train just lying on their sides, like toys not put away after playtime.

Somehow it doesn't seem right to expect the Japanese skaters to compete next week. Couldn't they at least postpone Worlds for a month? I know there are problems involved with that, but (to mix sports metaphors) getting back on the horse right now seems a bit rushed.

Thankfully, Shizuka is fine. She sent a twitter message which said: @tiramisu11 (Shizuka Arakawa) "Thank you for your concern. I'm okay for now, and also my family, doggies, and home will be safe". Just read it in a Universal Sports article entitled 'Figure Skaters tweet support to Japan'

The preliminary ladies, men and dance (QR) competitions start in less than 10 days. Presumably, many skaters would be arriving next week so as to adjust their bodies to the time difference before competing.

Thanks for the time correction, Herios. And thanks, Oksanafan, for the update on Shizuka. I don't know why I watched a report a short while ago on TV, but it's devastating to see what's happened and to think of all those people in such dire circumstances. And the nuclear plant that's become unstable...of all the countries in the world to be in danger from nuclear power, why did it have to be Japan. If there's a word worse than tragedy, this is the time for it.

Great to hear about Shizuka. Thanks Oksanafan. The images are heartbreaking. It's all just unimaginable to me. I'm sure the tragedy will cast a pall on worlds and there will be many tributes. My heart goes out to the Japanese skaters and everyone who has to see their homeland go through this.